Pakistan must desist from rhetoric, falsehood as it will not alter facts: India's strong Right of Reply at UN

Member of the Rajya Sabha and National Spokesperson of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Sudhanshu Trivedi asserted that the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir “was, is and will remain an integral part of India.

United Nations: In a strong retort, India slammed Pakistan for peddling “falsehood” after it referred to Jammu and Kashmir during a debate on peacekeeping operations in the UN. 

“India chooses its right to reply in response to the comments made by Pakistan that has yet again made an attempt to divert this august body from its agenda,” Member of the Rajya Sabha and National Spokesperson of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Sudhanshu Trivedi said.

His remarks came during a debate on peacekeeping operations at the Special Political and Decolonization (Fourth Committee) of the UN General Assembly here Friday.

Trivedi asserted that the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir “was, is and will remain an integral part of India. 

“The people of Jammu and Kashmir have recently exercised their democratic and electoral rights and elected a new government. Pakistan must desist from such rhetoric and falsehood because it will not alter the facts,” Trivedi said.  He added that out of respect for the august members of the UN forum, India will refrain from responding to any further attempts by Pakistan to “abuse” the UN procedures.

Trivedi delivered India’s strong response after the Pakistani delegate spoke about the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP), mandated to supervise the ceasefire along the Line of Control.

India maintains that UNMOGIP has outlived its utility and is irrelevant after the Simla Agreement and the consequent establishment of the Line of Control.

Later in a post on X, Trivedi said that during discussions in the United Nations on peacekeeping operations, the representative from Pakistan, while speaking on the subject of UN peacekeeping, “tried to digress the subject and unnecessarily mentioned that Pakistan’s involvement with UN peacekeepers started when UN has put up peacekeepers in 1948" in territory Jammu and Kashmir.

Trivedi added that "taking a sharp exception of this remark,” he exercised the Right of Reply and “firmly stated on the floor that the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir was, is and will remain an integral part of India.” “It has also recently gone through a proper democratic election. So the august forum of United Nations cannot be used in mentioning these types of non-substantive and misleading terms,” Trivedi said.

He added that this could have been “possible because of firm foreign policies” of Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government for a “strong and assertive India on the international stage.” Trivedi is part of a delegation of 12 Members of Parliament from India who are visiting the UN for diverse engagements at the world body.

Earlier, delivering a statement on the comprehensive review of peacekeeping operations, Trivedi said that recent conflicts are more challenging, spreading through myriad spectrums with volatile and complex settings now additionally involving terrorism and armed groups who are capitalising on the situation to serve their own objectives.

“India stands at the forefront in the effort to contribute to the peacekeeping efforts as the largest cumulative troop contributor to the UN peacekeeping operations.” He added that India’s cumulative experience is that in most cases today, conflict resolution lies in the sociopolitical domain.

Highlighting the importance of “realistic mandates”, he said “we must insist on practical and achievable mandates. Mission failures can be attributed to the non-robust mandates.

This normally is the result when we keep the troops or police contributing countries out of the initial mandate formulation processes which we should avoid.” He further said that in recent years, peacekeepers have experienced a great level of asymmetric threats ranging from land mines to IEDs. “We cannot remain indifferent in this prospect.” Trivedi also underscored that India upholds the safety and security of peacekeepers as one of the most important aspects of peacekeeping in a complex conflict scenario involving both state and non-state actors.

“It is necessary that the perpetrators of crime against peacekeepers need to be brought to justice and accountability for these crimes sought,” he said.

He further said that redundant peacekeeping missions existing for political purposes are a drain on depleting resources.

"Exit strategies for peacekeeping missions need to be built in from their very inception,” he said.

India is among the largest troop-contributing countries to UN peacekeeping missions.

Trivedi also recalled the resolution passed by the General Assembly on establishing a memorial wall for fallen peacekeepers at a prominent location in UN Headquarters.

“There are many challenges in front of us, many decisions to be taken to ensure that the memorial wall is established in a manner befitting to its sanctity and its purpose,” he said.

“UN peacekeeping is not just an operation, but it is a mission with utmost dedication. UN peacekeepers are making sacrifices not for just nationality, but for the whole humanity,” he said.